Weekly Release Spotlight: Grimes

Posted on 2/27/2012

Grimes
Visions
Arbutus


YESSSS! Grimes Vision is finally here! After her split EP with D’eon titled Dark Bloom released last year, I could not wait to hear what other work she would bring to the music scene. Visions is the dreamscape of sound that the music scene was waiting for. Out on 4AD Grimes Visions is a mix of translucent falsetto pop vocals and dreamy dance synths. It is hard not to find yourself caught up in the sounds. Grimes is 23 year old Claire Boucher a one-woman based project out of Montreal. Not only is she the hypnotizing voice and determined producer, but she continues to take artistic control of her work by also creating all her own album art, directing her music videos and creating the choreography.

Grimes music has been self-described as “post-internet”, because of her use of sporadic direction and eclectic sound. I have also heard her music described as synth pop or witch house. Whatever the genera, her music is an addictive sound. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about the album. However, the way she jumps around using all her different loops, samples and filters, which almost seem overwhelmingly scattered, they keep you coming back for more. As you listen to her work, every other track her voice goes in a kaleidoscope of different directions with her work swirling piles of vocal loops and the range of octaves she creates with various filters. With all these strange sounds it seems as though her work is alien, however her use of pop melodies keeps her music the realm of a strangely familiar sound. It is hard to sort out how she is creating her sound with all the elaborate layers of odd synths, instruments, samples, and droid voices, but what ever she is doing with her producing Grimes is spectacularly mesmerizing. Also to note is the flow of the album is a solid composition. Starting off with the track "Infinite Love With Out Fulfillment" you are plunged into her sound. Its up beat and lighter than some of her other tracks. As the album progresses you get a variety of tone and fantastic pop melody with the same blissful dreamlike sense of uplifting gloom that is held up through out the album.

From her image to her work Grimes has a solid project going. And all her hard work really pulls through in this album. Visions is most definitely a good one to check out.

Written by Candice Hafalia-Yackel, Radio K Volunteer

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